1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a dental device for the investigation of the optical properties of tooth tissue. In particular the present invention relates to a device for the detection of fluorescent substances on teeth, for example of caries, plaque, bacterial infection, concretions or tartar.
2. Related Technology
In dental diagnostics, optical investigation devices, with the aid of which for example caries, plaque, bacterial infection, concretions or tartar can be recognized, have long been known and known in different variants. It is common to all known devices that a tooth tissue region to be investigated is first irradiated with an excitation radiation, in response to which a response radiation is issued from the tooth. This response radiation may contain both the return reflected radiation of the same wavelength and also a fluorescence radiation. The response radiation is in turn detected and delivered to an evaluation unit which on the basis of the spectrum of the response radiation determines whether one of the above-mentioned substances is present or not. The known optical diagnostic methods and devices differ thereby in the employed wavelength(s) for the excitation radiation and in the evaluation of the detected response radiation. A first possibility consists in investigating whether there has arisen at the tooth a fluorescence radiation as reaction to the excitation radiation. Another possibility consists in, in the case of so-called reflection spectrometry, investigating which wavelengths are reflected in what manner from the tooth surface.
Devices of this kind are described for example in DE 297 04 185 U1, DE 197 09 500 C1 or DE 100 13 210 A1. These known devices have a dental handpiece with an investigation probe, via which the excitation radiation is directed to the tooth to be investigated and the response radiation radiated back from the tooth is detected. The light source for generating the excitation radiation is thereby often arranged directly in the handpiece, whilst in contrast the evaluation of the response radiation is mostly effected in a console, which is connected with a handpiece via connection tube. This console has on the one hand the electronics for the control of the light source for the excitation radiation and also for the evaluation of the response radiation. Beyond this, there are provided at the console indicator means of the form of a display, which depict the measurement results and thereby provides information as to whether the region just investigated manifests one of the above-mentioned fluorescent substances or not. The final diagnosis, i.e. the determination whether the increased fluorescence is caused by caries or not, is then made by the dentist.